On Mon, 5/25/2026 9:35 AM, Roger Mills wrote:
On 25/05/2026 13:00, Alan K. wrote:
On 5/25/26 7:21 AM, Roger Mills wrote:
On 24/05/2026 21:30, John Smith wrote:
The Web Browser From Microsoft!
Microsoft Edge is a browser that combines a minimal design with
sophisticated technology to make the web faster, safer, and easier.
Hope you enjoy using it on your PC or laptop. It comes pre-installed in >>>> Windows but Linux Ubuntu or Mint users can download a deb file from this >>>> link:
<https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/edge/pool/main/m/microsoft- edge-stable/microsoft-edge-stable_148.0.3967.83-1_amd64.deb>
Old versions can be downloaded from here:
<https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/edge/pool/main/m/microsoft- edge-stable/>
Sunday, 24 May 2026 @ 21:30:00
On my W11 computer, the bl**dy thing keeps setting itself as my default
browser without my permission! How can it stop it from doing that?
Whenver it happens I need to go into Setting and set the default app for >>> a whole host of file types back to Opera. I'm not a happy bunny!
You are hijacking this thread for a new question.
Please start a new post.˙˙ Proper etiquette.
I disagree. The thread is about the features of MS Edge compared with other browsers. My post is about one particularly nasty "feature" - and is not OT at all. Are you the self-appointed policeman for this NG?
It makes it easier for other people to track and respond to, if
placed in a new message and a new thread.
I've had a great deal of trouble, at times, finding a misnamed post
in an unrelated thread, where I have new information to add and I
have no idea where that post is that I need to respond to. Some of the
threads have had, like, twenty subject changes and I will have
a subject like "Fudge tastes good" and of course no thread has that
as the name when it is closed up on the screen, and the message
might be buried in the middle of a "Looks like rain" thread.
This is why we need just a tiny bit of discipline, so that
a message hunt does not become a whack-a-mole thing. I would have
to do an offline sync of a group, to be able to do a full body
search for the post I'm trying to answer. It's just easier
if the Subject at the top of the thread, reads properly at
the very beginning of the thread.
*******
# The following is a strategy post, laying out the barriers to user choice.
# This is to give some idea, there are two levels of protection.
# The original timed-crypto-hash technique, plus now a UCPD.sys driver was added to thwart us.
Published Apr 12, 2024
Microsoft has implemented a new driver in the latest Windows updates that
makes it harder for users and third-party software to change the
default web browser on Windows 10 and 11 systems. This move has sparked concerns about potential anticompetitive practices and raised questions
about Microsoft's motives.
The User Choice Protection Driver (UCPD)
As part of the February 2024 updates (KB5034763 for Windows 10 and
KB5034765 for Windows 11), Microsoft introduced a new driver called the
"User Choice Protection Driver" (UCPD.sys). This driver prevents direct
editing of specific Registry keys associated with URL associations (HTTP, HTTPS)
and the PDF file extension.
The affected Registry keys are:
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Associations\UrlAssociations\http\UserChoice
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Associations\UrlAssociations\https\UserChoice
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.pdf\UserChoice
Before this change, third-party tools like SetUserFTA and SetDefaultBrowser could modify
these Registry keys to change the default browser and PDF viewer on Windows systems.
However, with the UCPD driver in place, attempting to directly edit these keys results
in an error:
"Cannot edit Hash: Error writing the value's new contents."
Disabling the UCPD Driver
While the UCPD driver cannot be unloaded, it can be disabled by
modifying the Registry
deleting/disabling a scheduled task.
To disable the driver, follow these steps:
Open an elevated PowerShell prompt.
Run the following command to set the UCPD service to disabled:
New-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UCPD" -Name "Start" -Value 4 -PropertyType DWORD -Force
Reboot your system.
Delete or disable the "UCPD velocity" scheduled task under
\Microsoft\Windows\AppxDeploymentClient.
By disabling the UCPD driver and the associated scheduled task, third-party tools
like SetUserFTA and SetDefaultBrowser should regain the ability to change the default browser and PDF viewer settings.
Potential Motivations and Concerns
Microsoft has not provided an official explanation for introducing the UCPD driver,
leading to speculation about the company's motivations. Some theories suggest that
this change is related to compliance with the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA),
which aims to prevent anticompetitive practices by large tech companies.
However, the fact that the UCPD driver has been rolled out globally,
including in regions not bound by the DMA, casts doubt on this theory.
Additionally, even with the Registry keys locked down, Windows still opens certain operating system links in Microsoft Edge, even when another browser is set as the default.
Critics argue that this move could be an attempt by Microsoft to make it more difficult
for users to switch to competing browsers like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. By
locking down the ability to change default browser settings programmatically, Microsoft
could be trying to steer users toward using its own Edge browser.
There are also concerns that this change could interfere with enterprise management
tools and virtualization solutions that rely on the ability to change default program
associations during logon and logoff processes.
Respect for User Choice or Anticompetitive Practice?
The introduction of the UCPD driver has sparked a debate about user choice and potential anticompetitive practices. While Microsoft may argue that this change is intended to prevent malware from hijacking default program associations, critics see it as another attempt by the company to maintain its dominance
in the browser market.
If Microsoft's goal is truly to respect user choice, some argue that the company
should provide clear and accessible options within the Windows settings to change the default browser and other program associations easily. Locking down these settings through a driver and scheduled task raises questions about transparency and user control.
As the discussion continues, it remains to be seen whether Microsoft will provide
a satisfactory explanation for the UCPD driver or if regulatory bodies will scrutinize this move as potentially anticompetitive. In the meantime, users and IT professionals can follow the steps outlined above to disable the driver and regain control over their default program associations.
*******
# We follow up, using the setuserfta guys advice. This is a long
# article, but one item I notice, is setuserfta works in Safe Mode.
# Whether that would be sufficient, who knows.
https://kolbi.cz/blog/2024/04/03/userchoice-protection-driver-ucpd-sys/
UPDATE 30.05.2024: I have released a SetUserFTA update that works with UCPD.sys.
Its available for personal use only and can be downloaded on SetUserFTA.com
This is probably not a permanent solution, because Microsoft can block it with
an updated UCPD.sys very quickly. It is a rather hacky approach and might not
work for everyone, but it should be fine for personal use.
His commercial web site (previously, fixing this had been a hobby for him), offers version 1.8.4 , which lacks the automation to take care of the UCPD.sys .
We don't know if the last free version handles all this properly or not.
The following, just demonstrates the updating of the crypto part of the protections.
https://setuserfta.com/SetUserFTA.zip
$ setuserfta
SetUserFTA v1.8.4 by Kolbicz IT
SetUserFTA.exe extension progid [optional:group]
SetUserFTA.exe configfile
SetUserFTA.exe get
$ setuserfta get
.htm, FirefoxHTML
.html, FirefoxHTML
.shtml, FirefoxHTML
.xht, FirefoxHTML
.xhtml, FirefoxHTML
.svg, MSEdgeHTM
.xml, MSEdgeHTM
$ setuserfta .htm FirefoxHTML <=== presumed format, apply to each extension
<=== use any Opera value in the "get", as evidence it is "OperaHTML"
This is an article which might be from 2026. This is only regarding UCPD.sys and not about the hash thing that SetUserFTA is supposed to deal with.
This is claimed to be more current steps for dealing with UCPD.sys .
https://www.majorgeeks.com/content/page/how_to_disable_or_enable_userchoice_protection_driver_%28ucpd%29.html
Paul
--- PyGate Linux v1.5.15
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)